Friday, May 25, 2007

Glencora Goes to Work

Now that the shawl's finished, it'll be wrapped up and laid away to await a baby, as yet unborn, who might need it.

I had no idea that a little more than a year later, the hypothetical "baby born in spring" for whom I knitted the tulips and rosebuds would be not only a reality, but an addition to la famiglia. And with infinite thoughtfulness, her parents chose Glencora to wrap her up for the trip home.

I am thrilled with the response to this. If you've written to me, you will hear back. If you don't live near Chicago and can't get here, don't fret. I will find a way to get out there and cast the net far and wide.

There have been a few responses in which folks have felt the need to qualify themselves, i.e., "I'm fat, but if that's not a problem...".

No, that is not a problem. When I said you need only be a knitter, I meant you need be only a knitter. I am beyond sick and tired of everybody who is not a supermodel feeling the s/he needs to hide from the camera lens. That, my dears, is a poisonous notion fed to us by marketers who know that anxiety sells products. If you were already happy with your skin, you wouldn't buy their cosmetics, would you?

Just as many of us who knit and spin are in rebellion against mass production, I am in rebellion against mass self-hatred. I'm coming to realize that this will definitely be a theme running through the portrait project.

You are the only you out there, and you are the one I am looking for, because this project is about celebrating you. Don't apologize for being yourself.

Ah, the baby fencing pose! My son used to sleep like that, as well.My best wishes to the extended family. A child is the bet thing that can happen to parents, uncles, aunts, etc. Abigail Ann is very lucky to have an Uncle that obviously adores her.I wish I lived closer to Chicago, but alas, I'm here in the Toronto Area. IF you come this way, there are a ton of us - we culd fill your 1,000 pretty quick

All right, I've stopped now. ;) Butthosearethecutestpix!! Oh lord, I'm going gaga. I don't do gaga. I just haven't been subjected to Abigail, Mommy's Hat, and Uncle Franklin's Other Shawl all together before. ;)

Thanks, Franklin. You remind me how ridiculous it is that I'm working so hard to teach my 13-year old daughter to be confident and reject all that marketing crap while I'm running as fast as I can from any camera in existence. I resolve (and not for the first time) to practice what I preach.

It warms the heart to see a young child wrapped from head to toe in the pure love that is a handknit shawl and a handknit hat. Love is a powerful thing. May your lovely neice be wrapped in it and be comforted by it all her life.

Uncle Franklin, the Glencora is awesome and Abigail is beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us. Please come to Idaho, we'd love to have you photograph us in the wild! Hey bring Dolores also. Idaho could use the excitement!

Franklin, I have yet to congratulate you on the arrival of your cute little niece. Nice name, BTW.If you ever come to shoot in Baltimore, my boyfriend and I will sit for you in a knitting embrace, gladly. And some of my co-workers who learned from me.But comingling knitting and crochet? Are you serious? I am trying to teach people that there is a difference. vj.

Franklin, we love you because you say things like "You are the only you out there, and you are the one I am looking for, because this project is about celebrating you. Don't apologize for being yourself."

Our 3 month old daughter would like to make you her honorary uncle. How about it? You don't even have to knit anything. We can have the Uncle Initiation Ceremony when you come out to San Francisco to take a photo of my partner, who is the knitter in the family.

Next time we leave northern Wisconsin to visit bro and SIL near Chicago I'll be all, "Here I am, Franklin! Take a picture of ME!" I'll be another fat knitter in the project. Really, it is hard to avoid; sedentary people with sedentary hobbies tend to g-r-o-w sideways :)

Little AA is the cutest baby ever (except for everyone else's to whom I've said that). There is nothing like a sleeping babe to elicit the, Awwww...

So lovely, babe and shawl together! And this post also alerted me to the fact that I have been reading your blog for over a year now and I just wanted to say that, when I see a new post from you in my blog feeds, it's always the first one I want to read. But sometimes I read all the rest and save you for last, just to make the anticipation last longer (and 'cause you're so cute). Thanks for your thoughtful wit, which brings a bit of brightness on so many days.

pardon me while i join the growing chorus of "awwwwwwwwwwwwwww"!!!! what a beautiful baby and simply gorgeous shawl. all babies should be so lucky as to come home swaddled in love. even the simplest knitting is a collection of stitches knitted painstakingly, one at a time, infused with love. i used to feel bad that the blanket i loomed for my son before he was born is so funny looking now (it was the first thing i ever made out of yarn) but then i remembered being pregnant with him and thinking about him the whole time i was working on it.

Please come to Virginia? I'm pleasantly plump and will try to hold my chin at "just that angle" to avoid the "double" that appears once in awhile, but I'm relatively certain that my non-made-up face will be fine with scrumptious yarn and knitted lace in my lap and OTN!!!Oh. I'll email ya'!lolol!(((hugs)))

You know what, Franklin? You just made me cry, in a good way. I'm not fat, but I've been hating my body for months, maybe years, and what you said just made me stop and take a very careful look at what I've allowed into my own head.

Thanks. It's probably a good thing I'm not in your immediate vicinity, because I might embarass you with an inappropriate hug.

Come to Denver. We can go up in the mountains with a whack of knitters and have a blast, what with photography and knitting and general carrying on. Summer might be easier for pictures, and in the mountains it's very rarely too hot to knit!

Ok got all choked up about the shawl/blanket....its gorgeous and how wonderful that she was taken home in it. beautiful! she is one lucky little girl, i am sure as she grows up she will be the best dressed and accesorized.

as for the 1000...awesome! and what you said is right...i love it! may have to steal the "rebellion against mass production" thing...thats really good!

if you find a way out to reno...we (as in our crazy friday night knitters group) would love to have you spend a friday night with us...we eat, drink, knit and laugh our butts off you would be welcomed...our group is extremely diverse in age, background, economics and race and knitting brought us together...we even have a new person to our group who wanted to learn english and learn to knit so she came to us and is doing both!

You would find lots of diversity in the knitting and spinning group here...and a good time too!

The tulips and baby are wonderful. Thank you for the sermon. I am working to practice what you preach, too. I think this is an important theme and something many need to hear. This is not the first time this topic has been brought to me today. I am paying attention. Maybe that road trip we have been hoping for that would take us through Chicago this summer is going to happen. Stranger things have happened.

Congrats on the new niece Franklin! My brother and his wife were not so thrilled by my handknits and I'm sure the baby will never wear or use any of them. I'll have to keep checking in here to see how it goes for you! Travel safely!

Franklin, if you do make it to Seattle, there are HUNDREDS (perhaps thousands) of knitters who I know would be pleased to partake. I'm at the front of that list. Good luck with this photo project -- it is a brilliant idea and just the sort of wonderful, positive reaffirmation we all like to see for our craft. Bless you.

And as for that dear little niece of yours, keep those photos coming -- reminds me of when my kids were babes -- love, love, love those babies. Especially with handknits. MaryB in Seattle

The shawl is beautiful and the baby is so lucky to have an uncle that knits for her. I love knitting for my nephews and they continue to wear my hand-knit items. You're starting a great tradition of hand-knit gifts that she will treasure.

I live in Maine and would love to be part of your project. If you're out visiting your sister and want to plan a photo shoot, just announce it on your blog and I'm sure you'll get plenty of hearty Maine-ahs that will pose for you!

Abigail is as lovely a baby as I have ever seen (except my own). Your post today mirrored my thoughts as I sent you my 1,000 e-mail. We are all beautiful, no matter what society tells us. Keep a preachin' and I'll keep practicing.

Our LYS (Wool and Company) is having a Knit-Out On The Lawn in downtown Geneva IL on June 20th...we'd like to invite you to come and take as many photos as you want. We'll have bunches and bunches of knitters, of all shapes and ages, many of whom read you regularly and would love to be included in The Thousand.

Okay, those are probably the absolutely cutest pictures of a shawl I have ever seen. The sweet little baby inside is awfully cute too. :)I bet you are totally on pins and needles to go out to see her. I know I would be.Have a great time.

And, about your 1000 knitters project? I heard on the Today Show this morning that on this, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, one of the three most popular destinations was Chicago. I immediately thought of you, and pictured throngs of knitters coming for their photographs . . .

(Oh, and about that? If I thought I'd ever be anywhere remotely like Chicago, I'd volunteer too, but....)

And, really, what DOES Dolores think of the lovely little new addition to the family?

wise and thoughtful (and most like, very proud and appreciative parents) are they. It's spectacular, I had forgotten you made that and how wonderful it is. Now I have to go relook at that pattern...and ponder!

The shawl looks beautiful with a baby in it ( the baby's pretty cute too)How about having some Mother/Daughter/Son/Husband/ Family knitting shots. If I lived closer or drove, my daughter and Mum would certainly come with me for a photo shoot.

The cuteness! My God! There should be some kind of warning before you post pictures of that calibre. An otherwise single and happy about it person like myself might suddenly start thinking she wants one!

Love the last couple of lines. I need to practice what you preach too. :)

Franklin, if you're ever up in the Twin Cities, drop me a line. My dad's a photographer and lives in South Minneapolis, in a pretty central place, and would be helpful in the way of backdrops/locations/etc.

Abigail is absolutely beautiful. So is the shawl. How truly wonderful to have such love surrounding her. My best to your entire family. Please let family know they are in my thoughts and prayers.If you are in NW PA, count me in for the photo shoot.

Gorgeous baby, and I can see that shawl all kind of grey and draggled after years of being dragged around as a "blankie"..the best kind of compliment.Now on the self-esteem thing. Have you seen the new Dove commercials? "campaign for real beauty?" http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/flat2.asp?id=6960If I had a daughter, I'd have her watch all the little film clips. Come to that, they've done a great job for this old broad's esteem. Wonderful!Barb B.

i haven't visited in a couple of days, and now I see the photo's of your beautiful niece, and now I am broody! She is divine, the shawl is divine, please put some silver in the babys pram from me !!Wish I could make it to Chicago for the 1000 - Scotlands a bit far.Best wishes to all of you!

Wow, she's a beauty Franklin. Can I just say that I am a knitter who would love to be photographed by you but, alas, I live in NORTHern Michigan and cannot make it to Chicago any time soon. Good luck with your endeaver.

I've missed a bit so, catching up: CONGRATULATIONS on your unclehood of a very attractive & attractively shawled baby, and on your redefined photography project. I look forward to seeing the outcome. And on that--you said "all shapes and sizes," didn't you? I am happy about your anti-self hatred campaign and in full support thereof.

Beautiful baby and blanket. and THANK YOU beautiful sentiment and attempt to practice what you preach. If you want knitter pictures and want to come to Dallas, contact me. (I would advise coming when it is freezing there, because rarely does it get cold here, but it's hotter than blazes in summer!

I just listened to your piece on Brenda's podcast and found myself in tears. I know it wasn't meant to be sad, and certainly I found bits to be funny. It made me reflect on how things for women have changed and the privilege of being able to have passtimes with self-serving purposes. Thanks!

(I'm obviously feeling less than articulate this morning. If you're ever in Baltimore, though, I'll be there with sticks and yarn. I've seen your photos. You could make a slag heap attractive. But more importantly, I think your project idea is great.)

The top photo, when I saw it just out of the corner of my eye, made me think of *Where the Wild Things Are.* That was my favorite book as a little girl (thanks to everyone who read it to me with great amounts of expression). I suppose it was the colors, but whatever it was, it just doubled my already firm belief that Abigail is one special and very lucky little girl.

Franklin, I don't know if you can hear me, over here (way down at the bottom of the comments list), but I am *finally* de-lurking to get something off my chest:

You are wonderful. Your blog is wonderful. I read it every single day and I just needed to tell you that I really wish there were more people out there like you. You have so much integrity, it makes me want to be a better person. Thank you for not being afraid to stand up for what you believe in (in this case: this global issue of self-hatred).

I dont know which is more beautiful, the baby or the blanket!That blanket is awesome...but the baby - well, babies make most of us sound and act like fools - even those of us who work with them daily!!!!

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